'Bravely Default' a welcoming blast from the past (review)

“Bravely Default” may not be the most original JRPG out there, but this newest 3DS game from Square Enix does offer some fresh ideas while taking us back to the glory days of “Final Fantasy.”

The story is a familiar one. The world is held in balance by four elemental crystals, but a mysterious darkness arrives causing chaos and destruction. Four important characters are introduced quickly: Tiz, who fails to save his brother as a giant chasm swallows up his home village of Norende; Agnes, the protector of the Wind Crystal who's made it her mission to awaken them all from the darkness; Edea, whose father orders her to capture Agnes but joins the party instead; and the womanizer Ringabel, whose memory is wiped clean but holds a journal that reveals future events.

While the plot drags on a little too much, the voice acting is fine. There is a lot of text in this game, enough that made me hurry through cutscenes. Thankfully, the story is understandable, unlike the most recent “Final Fantasy” games that make you go “What?”

The standard turned-based mechanics are all here, but with a twist to keep things interesting. Based on the game's name, the Brave and Default options allow players to take more actions per turn or stockpile them for later in battle. Those who feel “Brave” can go all in with a character and attack four times right away, but will be skipped multiple times if there are still enemies on the board. Defaulting puts characters in defensive mode and gives them one extra action the next turn that can be used without facing penalties. The best part is even enemies and bosses will stockpile actions, so every battle kind of plays out differently.

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Sleep Points are used to take extra actions if things get real dicey. These are obtained by leaving the 3DS in sleep mode for long periods of time ... or can be purchased with real-life money. The game's difficulty can be changed any time, so it's pointless to spend cash on this.

The job system is expansive and gives players many different ways to play the game. While I stuck with the typical Black and White Mages for powerful magic attacks and healing spells, respectively, I played around with others like a strong knight and a thief who steals items. Each job includes all kinds of abilities and are unlocked by defeating bosses. A nice attention to detail is each character dresses in the proper attire.

That said, there is a lot of grinding in “Bravely Default,” especially when you can mix two different job abilities per character — for example, a knight who can spruce up his weapon with elemental magic. Various game options can be changed mid-game including turning off random encounters or doubling their rate, and only leveling up job classes instead of characters so they don't become overpowered. Purists will scoff at these configurations, but it is nice to search for treasure without getting annoyed every so often with random battles.

A whole other part of the game involves rebuilding Tiz's village to get unique items. This is done mainly by StreetPassing with others who own the game, or by obtaining a few villagers every day from the Internet. Friends can also be summoned into battle to deliver extra damage.

“Bravely Default” is packed with content, delivering dozens of hours of classic JRPG gameplay. It may not officially be a “Final Fantasy” game, but those who enjoyed the series' salad days will no doubt have a blast playing this.

3 1/2 stars out of 4

A downloadable code was supplied by the publisher for this review.

Reach Jeff Hoard at jeff.hoard@oakpress.com or follow Jeff on Twitter:@JeffHoard921.

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